Novels like Twenty-Nine, and Done Settling
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Twenty-Nine, and Done Settling, best match first.
- 51 Blind Date? What's the Rush! 相亲，何太急！ [Sweet romance + living together + marriage first, love later + realistic] [This novel is complete] The most rebellious thing Xiang Qing ever did was enter a fake marriage. If a woman isn't married by thirty, she'll lose her value and become an unwanted leftover, mocked by the neighbors and every aunt and uncle. Her parents are so desperate that they want her to grab any man, marry him right away, have a baby, and reach the pinnacle of womanhood. She never expected her sharp-tongued husband, He 1.3kReads9.1Score144Shelves
- 52 A Man’s Backbone 男人的脊梁 On the eve of the college entrance exam, senior student Zhou Yangfan's world came crashing down: his father broke his leg and was bedridden, while his overworked mother was suddenly hospitalized. He could stay in school and pursue his dream of going to university, but with both parents ill and a mountain of debt hanging over the family, they could barely afford even his basic living expenses. How could he concentrate? If he went home to care for his parents and share their burden, he would have 3.6kReads9.2Score431Shelves
- 53 The Substitute Fiancée: She Kept the Baby and Left, But He Found Out 替身未婚妻，去父留子被发现了 [An exceptionally even-tempered male lead + A cool and distant female lead + An adorable, clever pair of twins + A whole cast of colorful supporting characters] [Older man + Secrets + Deceiving his wife is fun for a while + The long road to winning her back] Jiang Yiyou grew up without ever seeing her father, relying on her mother, Jiang Yuan, and the two of them depended on each other. After Jiang Yuan was left in a vegetative state by a car accident, her brother brought mother and daughter bac 26Reads7.4Score—Shelves
- 54 What's There to Fear About Divorce at 40? My First Love Has My Back 40岁离婚怕什么，还有初恋兜底 [A levelheaded housewife who knows when to retreat and when to advance + an icy doctor who advances by retreating] [Midlife struggles + parent-child relationships + redemption + mutual healing] Her husband is having an affair with his boss. Her son is a high school senior and has started dating. Zhu Yi, who quit her job three years ago, feels as if her world is collapsing. Then she unexpectedly runs into Yang Yiqing, her first love, whom she had lost touch with years ago. Suddenly, time speeds 111Reads—Score—Shelves
- 55 Dust in the Wind: The Days of Sharing a Job 生如尘埃：打工搭伙的日子 In a bustling city, how many people shine brightly, and how many struggle just to survive? The two protagonists in this book represent two very different kinds of lives. Only after going from innocence to worldly wisdom and enduring life's hardships can they slowly come to their senses amid the mundane world. 11.5kReads9.1Score961Shelves
- 56 The Green Paulownia Sets the Plains Ablaze 青梧燎原 The Green Wutong Sets the Prairie Ablaze 7Reads—Score—Shelves
- 57 King of Men in a World of Men! 在只有男人的世界做男人的王！ Become the king of men in a world with only men! 14Reads—Score—Shelves
- 58 My Five Best Friends: Heaven, Please Save Me! 我的五个好朋友:老天爷快救救我 My Five Best Friends: Heaven, Please Save Me 10Reads—Score—Shelves
- 59 My Husband Abused Me. After I Was Reborn, I Made Him Beg on the Streets 老公家暴：重生后我让他沿街乞讨 My Husband Abused Me: After Being Reborn, I Made Him Beg on the Streets 6Reads—Score—Shelves
- 60 A Woman's Tears: The Pain of Finding a New Man 女人泪：寻找新的男人是痛苦的 A Woman’s Tears: Finding a New Man Is Painful 16Reads—Score—Shelves
- 61 Village Chief, Don't Mess with Me 村长，别来惹我 Liang Yuzhen is a widow in the village, beautiful and kindhearted. The village chief is a local bully, but seeing that Liang Yuzhen has no man to rely on, he often stops by to help her with whatever he can, putting on a show of being a good Samaritan. 94Reads7.1Score—Shelves
- 62 The Background Character Binds to a Positive Energy System 工具人女配绑定正能量系统 [Reborn + System + no female rivalry, a modern campus ensemble story; there is a male lead, but he mainly plays a supporting role for the heroine] Mu Ruzhen was a disposable supporting character in a CEO-substitute romance novel. She and the heroine, Mu Rujin, were impoverished heiresses whose parents had died. The heroine became a substitute lover and got entangled with the CEO. As for Mu Ruzhen, after a sudden disaster left her paralyzed from the waist down, she became the frail supporting cha 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 63 Things Don't Go as Planned 事与愿违 Rising business star James meets seasoned accountant Tian Shiyu through a dating app. Just as sparks begin to fly between them, their moment is interrupted when Tian Shiyu’s son, Tian Jiawen, comes home early. Awkwardly caught in the situation, James is forced to spend the whole night helping him with middle-school math problems... After his friends make fun of him, playboy James takes things in his own peculiar way, deciding Tian Shiyu was mocking him and swearing to get his revenge on her. As 1.6kReads9.4Score162Shelves
- 64 Reborn with a Terminal Illness, I Won’t Treat It This Time 绝症重生后，这病我不治了 One-on-one warmth and everyday life + leisurely travel [A heads-up: no backstabbing or face-slapping, no domineering CEO or powerhouse heroine, and no sweeping aside all opposition. This is a pure slice-of-life story.] In her previous life, Qiao Qian was diagnosed with an illness and diligently followed her treatment, but sadly, it did little good. Later, she decided to spend what time she had left seeing the world, only to get into a car accident… After being reborn, Qiao Qian decided not to se 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 65 I Turned My Head and Saw You 偏过头，看见你 Lin Yue is a recent graduate just starting out in the workplace. Her boss turns out to be a college senior who once pursued her and is still secretly in love with her. But then Lin Yue discovers that the company's “Iron Lady” is dating him. Meanwhile, her best friend's boyfriend turns out to be her roommate, and her friend even accuses her of trying to steal him. Years of friendship go up in smoke over a man. Lin Yue thinks this world has gone completely mad. It's so absurd that even absurdity's 17Reads—Score—Shelves
- 66 Cultivating Immortality, Lucky Star Style 幸运星式修仙 [Plenty of Immortal Maidens + High-Martial World + Absurd Cultivation + Cultivation, Lucky Star Style] The Lucky Star asked, “What wish would you like to make?” Zhou Xingyun smiled. “I want to become the master of the Heavenly Dao!” The Lucky Star: “...” I shall claim dominion over all under heaven! Who can stand against me? Now is the time to seize the world! I'm only taking an exam. Examiner, why are you asking me to be your master? I'm only increasing my cultivation. School, why did you explo 24Reads—Score—Shelves
- 67 We Got Our Marriage License, but We Barely Know Each Other 领证了，但不熟 Lin Mian and Xie Xiao met through a matchmaking arrangement and had only seen each other twice before registering their marriage. An acquaintance said Xiao was 180 centimeters tall, came from a well-off family, had been abroad for years, and was too tightly supervised by his family to find time to date. The acquaintance also said that if she didn’t object, they might as well give each other a chance. Fine. It wasn’t as if Xie Xiao looked bad. On the day they went to register their marriage, Lin 1.4kReads8.4Score167Shelves
- 68 Wild Wind Kisses the Butterfly 野风吻蝴蝶 [Unhinged, possessive math genius X sweet on the outside, cool and capable within psychologist] [Domineering, devoted puppy + one true love for life + healing and redemption] Ruan Zheng is a sweet psychologist, the very best at healing others, but she has no idea what to do about the madman who clings to her. Lu Ye is an illegitimate son of a wealthy family, an unhinged and gloomy math genius who suffers from a “strange illness.” Until he meets Ruan Zheng. She is the only one who isn’t afraid 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 69 Chickens and Ducks in One Cage! Dr. Sheng's Nine-to-Five Love 鸡鸭同笼！晟医生的爱朝九晚五 After a long-planned family banquet, Chaoyan’s world comes crashing down! Her own parents actually sent her straight into the bed of her sworn enemy, and even had their marriage registered on her behalf! She was determined to tear up the courtroom and become a champion of justice, a true “legal golden hen.” But instead, she ran into a doctor as green as Biluochun tea, a “white-cut duck” named Sheng Shiyan! - When they were children, he stomped on her beloved pet and summer vacation insect sp —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 70 Using His Power to Force a Marriage 仗势欺婚 [Bright, romantic heiress × scheming, aloof, and desireless business tycoon] Ruan Fu was spoiled and willful, a little princess indulged by her family. The only hardship she had ever faced was being forced into an arranged marriage with a man she didn’t love, Zhao Jingnian. Though he was the leading figure among Beicheng’s elite, he was seven years older than her. This powerful, old-fashioned man was dull and clueless about romance. He looked like the sort who wouldn’t know how to treat a woman 92.7kReads9.1Score12.4kShelves
- 71 One Night of Passion, Three Years After the Divorce 离婚三年后，一夜上瘾 [Timid but Stubborn Doctor vs. CEO Who Steals Her Away] A push and pull between mature adults, a healing story with an ensemble cast Four years ago, Yan Shanting and Xun Beixing got married in a daze, then divorced for reasons neither could explain. Yan Shanting’s father was Xun Beixing’s medical advisor. Since the two were about the same age, he introduced his son to Beixing. Hoping to move on from another relationship, Beixing agreed to her teacher’s suggestion. Her first impression of Yan Sha 437Reads—Score—Shelves
- 72 I Escaped the Mountains 我逃出了大山 I Escaped the Mountains 9Reads—Score—Shelves
- 73 The Shoe Factory Worker Holds Forth, and She Knows So Much! 鞋厂女工论道，她知道那么多！ [Urban slice of life + romance] The heroine is beautiful and works at a factory. She takes care of looking lovely while the hero works hard to get ahead. He climbs the factory's management ranks and even puts in time on the production line, all so the two of them can tie the knot and enjoy a long, happy life together. But things aren't that simple... 134Reads—Score—Shelves
- 74 On My First Day at Work, My Boss Told Me to Get Lost? 入职第一天，顶头上司让我滚？ Armed with a two-year college degree, Shen Mingya fought tooth and nail to get into one of the country’s top advertising agencies, convinced she’d found the one lifeline that could save her future. But on her first day, Zhang Zhuoyu, the icy-eyed head of planning, saw right through her mediocrity. At an interview, every word he said cut deep: “Find another job while you still can. This place isn’t for you.” He mocked her coldly when they crossed paths in the elevator and put her down at every tu 94Reads—Score—Shelves
- 75 Since I Stopped Putting Up with My Marriage, I've Been Living My Best Life 自从婚姻不再忍着过老娘我爽爆了 Hua Roulan stayed in the big city of Hailing after graduating from university. Her husband, Cheng Chuanhe, had a doctorate and ran a company. “You don't earn as much as I do. What gives you the right to make me do the housework?” Whenever Cheng Chuanhe flew into a rage, he erupted like a landslide, completely hysterical. Arguments between married couples are inevitable, but he resorted to verbal attacks and emotional abuse... She really couldn't take it anymore. She didn't want to keep enduri 49Reads7.1Score—Shelves
- 76 The Third Young Lady of the Earl's House Returns After Three Years in Prison 坐了三年牢的伯府三小姐回来了 Three years in prison were not the end of the road for her. They were a chance to be reborn. On the first day after her release, she returned to the manor, only to have her own flesh and blood tell her to go back to the countryside. They thought she was an embarrassment and wished they had never had her as a relative. Since family ties meant so little to them, she decided to sever them with a letter, cutting off even the bond of blood. Her life after prison would not go downhill. It would only s 713Reads8.5Score107Shelves
- 77 A Million-Dollar Dream for a Temp Girl 零工女孩的百万理想 Fang Tang is suddenly laid off at the end of the year, and it feels as if the sky has fallen. At 28, she’s unmarried, unemployed, and has barely any savings. Standing among the towering buildings and rushing traffic, she feels lost and helpless. What should she do next? What can she even do? She packs her things and returns to her village. At her first meal back, her mother says, “If you don’t have a job, get married!” Fang Tang looks up at her mother, whose hair has already gone gray at the tem 36kReads9.0Score4.5kShelves
- 78 You Don’t Have to Forgive Me 你不必原谅我 (The rating may be low, but I think this story is great!) Premise in a sentence: Two morally messy people fall for each other. Neither is innocent. [Problematic elements / neither is chaste / somewhat realistic] [Flawed older man vs. flawed older woman] [Original title: You Don’t Have to Forgive Me] - While helping her best friend’s cousin catch his partner cheating, Huo Manyue throws all caution to the wind and falls for the handsome, well-built male homewrecker. She can’t help it. He’s exactly 3.2kReads8.6Score188Shelves
- 79 A Small-Town Girl's Ten-Year Secret Crush 一个小镇女孩暗恋的十年 [Ten years of secret love × running away while pregnant × groveling to win her back × reunion after years apart × powerful man finally bows his head × both are each other’s first and only] This is not a mindless wish-fulfillment story!! The heroine is not love-brained!!! This is not a pampered-wife story!! People will die, so if you only want happy endings, this isn’t for you! No rebirth, no golden finger, no evil female rival, no women competing against each other, and no putting the heroine th 4.4kReads8.2Score342Shelves
- 80 I’m a Designer in the Entertainment Industry 我在娱乐圈当设计师 Rebirth, transmigration, a System, a golden finger... What are you dreaming about? Did you save humanity or the entire galaxy? Why should you be the one who gets to transmigrate or be reborn? Ha! Gu Nuan is the one who saved the galaxy. Let’s see how she makes the most of her life in showbiz! 332Reads—Score—Shelves
- 81 The Chronicle of Zhinnan 知南录 [The hero fiercely protects his own + extreme romantic tension + sweet romance + devoted to each other + two powerful leads] ☆ Gentle, resilient top student ✖️ Free-spirited musician Feng Xiangbei: “I want to invest! I’ll give you my money and myself. You can read any page of my book you want, and I’ll give you whatever you want.” Chen Zhinan: “I’m afraid you’ll lose money.” Feng Xiangbei thinks: Losing money is no big deal. I can earn it back. But if my future wife gets away, where will I find 6Reads—Score—Shelves
- 82 Wedding Invitation Street 喜帖街 Hong Kong underworld + fallen heiress x powerful tycoon who rose from humble beginnings + revenge + reunion after years apart - In 1998, everyone in Hong Kong thought Miss Wen had died in Sai Kung. More than four years later, Tan, a rising power in Hong Kong, saw his old love Miss Wen again, and still loved her dearly. He spared no expense to help her get revenge, offering her his wealth and influence just to make her happy, and to ease the guilt he had carried in his heart for so long. - Later 440Reads8.8Score101Shelves
- 83 Starfall Dreamtalk 星落梦语 [Pretend GL] + [BG] + [Domineering, coercive romance, a groveling pursuit after betrayal, and winning hearts with tricks] + [One-on-one romance] + [Happy ending] Readers who prefer chaste stories, beware!!! (Also known as: The Heroine Is Always Thinking About How to Survive) Overworked office worker Meng Jian transmigrates into a fantasy world. She thinks she can coast to an easy, sweet romance by binding herself to a romance System, but it turns out the System is a scammer too! It gives her not 49Reads8.4Score—Shelves
- 84 After Marrying In to Bring Good Fortune, I Won Over the Mad Prince 替嫁冲喜后疯批王爷被我吃服了 (The new book's rating just came out, and it'll rise later) [Marriage first, love later + substitute bride brought in to bring good luck] [Foodie beauty vs. unhinged prince] Shen Zhiyi is the adopted daughter of a marquis's household. Neither her father nor her mother cares for her, and she's pushed into a substitute marriage with the dreaded Prince Jing, to bring him good luck. Other substitute brides fear being sent to their deaths; she fears starving to death. Other brides whisper sweet nothi 18Reads—Score—Shelves
- 85 Refusing to Marry Into a Rich Family: CEO Daddy, Let Me Go 拒当豪门媳：总裁爹地请放手 [Slow-burn romance] + [Love grows over time] + [Workplace romance] No characters lose their intelligence, and no one lets love cloud their judgment. They stay rational and clear-headed, but they must learn to endure loneliness. The heroine is a senior executive at a company. Helping the chairman's heir is one of her key performance targets. If he works hard and strives to improve, her career takes off. If he spends his time chasing cats and dogs, she ends up destitute. But just when she has made 96Reads—Score—Shelves
- 86 The Viperous Wicked Sister-in-Law: From White Lotus to Prisoner 蛇蝎恶嫂，从白莲花到阶下囚 A Viperous Sister-in-Law, from White Lotus to Prisoner 12Reads—Score—Shelves
- 87 These Rules Are Like the Laws of Immortals 如此规则，如听仙律 [No Romance, Female-Led Story] Shen Buyan is the illegitimate daughter of a marquis’s household. After a serious illness, the world around her shed its splendor, leaving only cold, inexorable rules and logic. Domestic power struggles? She uses airtight reasoning to render her stepmother’s rules nothing but empty words. Court intrigue? Her uncompromising rationality makes the idle officials break out in a cold sweat. No transmigration, no System, no romance! Watch a heroine born and raised in 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 88 A Few Tales of Her Highness Princess Rongzhao and Her Consort 荣昭长公主殿下与其驸马二三事 [A battle of wills between two equally strong leads] [Set in an imagined ancient world, don’t overthink the details] [Princess Royal × Powerful Minister] Female lead’s perspective: Wen Wangshu was the emperor’s legitimate daughter, yet as a child she and her mother and elder brother suffered relentless hardship because their father favored another. After years of scheming, she finally saw her brother ascend the throne, allowing them to hold their heads high. It was then that the man their fathe 58Reads—Score—Shelves
- 89 I Picked Up a War God to Be My Husband 捡个战神当压寨夫君 Also known as: "A Fake Wedding? The Grand Commander Keeps Turning the Act into Reality" [Glamorous, teasing bandit chieftain × cool-headed, steady Grand Commander; strong female lead + marriage before love + amnesia + two powerful leads + happy ending + nation and home] On the third day of the martial arts matchmaking tournament, Ren Huan came across a man. Everyone thought Ren Huan wanted to choose a husband whose martial arts skills matched her own. No one expected her to fall for a sickly-loo 49Reads—Score—Shelves
- 90 After She Dumped Me, My Girlfriend Became the Lead Dancer 甩了我之后，女友成了首席舞者 Betrayed by Fang Xiaohui, the ballet goddess who had been his girlfriend and the love of his life for seven years, Jin Jian loses the stable job he was about to land just before graduation. He has to start struggling to make a living on his own. Along the way, he meets wealthy heiress Xia Xueyi, shares a home with Ouyang Qing, his close friend's girlfriend, and falls in love with Bai Xiaotian, a classmate from police academy. This is the story of a boy growing into a man. There are a thousand di 677Reads8.7Score104Shelves
- 91 Don't Bully Honest People 不能欺负老实人 These are the best of times, and the worst of times. This is the age of wisdom, and the age of foolishness... Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities Cui Yufeng is an honest man. Driven by fate, he suddenly sees the light, and his passion runs wild. Bai Ruxue is a poppy flower encountered by an honest man: graceful, alluring, and defiantly unconventional. With a gentle touch, she opens Pandora's box. And so their story begins in a place called Meishan Town... 7.1kReads9.0Score682Shelves
- 92 Assistant Cheng, Are You Going to Marry Me or Not? 程助，你到底嫁不嫁 The heroine is the hero’s secretary. She’s a strong, independent woman. The hero is a looks-and-voice enthusiast, a faux playboy, a rich second-generation heir, and a cunning schemer. The heroine comes from an ordinary family and has an ordinary appearance, but her voice is exceptionally beautiful. It’s the kind of voice that makes both men and women look up in surprise when she speaks. The heroine used to be hopelessly love-struck, but eventually she came to her senses. Through her own hard wor 148Reads—Score—Shelves
- 93 Reborn in the 1980s: I Refuse the Marriage and Build a Factory into an Empire 重生八零拒嫁，建厂成豪门 This book is dedicated to everyone who lived through the 1980s. The characters are a cross-section of ordinary people from that era, and I hope their stories will be seen. It was a time when sons were valued over daughters, yet women still found ways to live remarkable lives! 4Reads—Score—Shelves
- 94 Hidden Beneath the Pearly Glow 藏于珠光之下 [Whirlwind marriage + marriage first, love later + marriage alliance + rekindled romance + both leads are inexperienced] [A gentle yet strong, clear-headed and reserved artist VS a cold, self-centered CEO who sees marriage as a transaction] “Miss Su, I've met many talented young people. Some are too fixated on the pain of the past, while others are too eager to forget it.” “But you're different. You turned your pain into nourishment. That's rare.” “But what's passed between us is over. We mis —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 95 Middle-Aged and Alone, With No One to Lean On 人到中年，无人可依 A middle-aged couple have no sex life and barely communicate. With elderly parents to care for and children to raise, they hit a dead end at work and struggle through a life full of endless chores. Then suddenly, an unforeseen and terrifying crisis sweeps them into a storm. What should they do next? Can they keep going? How can they turn things around? 240Reads7.4Score129Shelves
- 96 After She Was Rescued, the Powerful Man Asked Her to Marry Him in Gratitude 被救后，大佬让她婚以报恩 [Secret marriage + marriage first, love later + adored by everyone + groveling-to-win-back-love romance] Everyone knows Dr. Lu is beautiful and broke, but no one knows that she takes on flash marriages as a side gig to make money. When they first meet, Song Jingyan saves her and says, “If you want to repay me, marry me.” She asks, “Do I get paid?” He replies, “I can give you a little.” Later, a news story about him and his former fiancée sends them trending, revealing that the man sharing her be 1.9kReads9.0Score224Shelves
- 97 A Post-90s Mountain Girl's Starry Sky 90后，山里姑娘的星空 [Diary] [First person] [No contrived twists] [Not a wish-fulfillment novel] [No overpowered protagonist] [Traditional] [Realistic] [Period] [Countryside] [Hardship] [Marriage] [Family bonds] The 1990s were full of life and energy, but they were also a Period when weeds grew unchecked. Many people born in the 1970s and 1980s went to the cities in pursuit of their dreams. Some worked hard for everything they had, while others lost themselves in the glittering world around them. This is a story a 193Reads8.3Score—Shelves
- 98 The Rainy Night That Summer 那年夏天的雨夜 During the summer vacation of his sophomore year, Xue Yang took a summer job at a cafe to earn some money. The story between Xue Yang and Xu Yao began with a collision on a rainy summer night. With nowhere to go, Xue Yang was forced to stay overnight at Xu Yao's home. That night, Xu Yao, who had been a widower for many years, felt his heart stir. He opened his front door, and his heart as well. From their first meeting to falling in love, and from falling in love to building a life together, the 118Reads—Score—Shelves
- 99 The Moon Only Falls in Love Once 月亮只会动心一次 [Long-form drama rights sold] [He’s been secretly plotting his love for her for ages + she’s a player who spots red flags, only to be flirted with in return] [A realistic fairy tale where a novice’s wild punches take down the master] Lawyer Jiang Qingyue runs an account dedicated to exposing scumbags. She never expected to find someone she knew while investigating the vast online world. A fan submitted: “Matchmaker, help! My crush is a cold, high-powered lawyer. What do I do? I want to know if 24.7kReads9.4Score4.1kShelves
- 100 My Husband Is Only Three Parts Cooked 老公三分熟 [Marriage first, love later + a gentle, slow-blooming romance] Jin Chengzhou agreed to the marriage on one condition: Yu Nian must not interfere in his life, expect him to love her, or hope he would be a good husband. If possible, no one outside the family was to know about their relationship. After their wedding night, Jin Chengzhou left a box of birth control pills and a glass of warm water by Yu Nian’s bed, then hurried overseas to handle business. - Six months later, Jin Chengzhou finally ca 5.4kReads8.5Score515Shelves
